Most food traded within West Africa moves by truck and largely escapes official records, highlighting both the scale of informal cross-border commerce and the economic gains that could come from reducing non-tariff barriers.

Trucking is the main driver of food trade in West Africa, according to a report published in September 2025 by the Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The report, titled “Intra-regional Food Trade in West Africa: New Evidence, New Perspectives,” found that nearly 78% of intra-regional food trade is carried out by 10- to 22-wheel trucks with an average capacity of 35 tons. Around 9% of transactions use 6- to 8-wheel trucks capable of transporting 17 tons of goods.

Large-scale operations account for nearly 90% of the total volume of intra-regional food trade, much of which remains outside official statistics and is valued at around $10 billion per year.

In other words, the bulk of this “invisible” trade relies on large shipments handled by well-organized operators rather than on a multitude of scattered small transactions, as is often assumed. The dominance of truck transport also reflects the dynamism of traders who operate beyond their national borders and adjust rapidly to market signals and demand.

Goods move along regional corridors such as Dakar-Bamako (1,360 km), Abidjan-Lagos (1,000 km) and Niamey-Lomé (1,000 km), as traders capitalize on the growth of urban markets.

During the off-season, for example, up to 90% of tomatoes sold in Tamale, in northern Ghana, are transported from Burkina Faso. A similar pattern is observed in the onion sector, which relies heavily on regional imports.

Reducing non-tariff barriers

Regional demand for food products is projected to reach $480 billion by 2030, compared with $126 billion in 2010. These traders are expected to continue playing a leading role in moving staple products between exporting and importing countries.

In this context, numerous studies have highlighted the need to reduce non-tariff barriers in order to boost agricultural trade flows and strengthen food security in the region.

A note published in May 2023 by the French Centre for Prospective Studies and International Information (CEPII) underscored the constraints created by multiple checkpoints and informal levies along major road networks. According to CEPII, eliminating these practices could generate an additional $19 million annually in the corn sector, including $13.4 million for producers, and $48.4 million in the onion sector, including $33.4 million for producers.

Espoir Olodo